Tips on getting used to sound
Posted by LalaChickynuggy@reddit | Firearms | View on Reddit | 37 comments
Hello. I really want to learn how to use a firearm and be properly trained. I want to be able to protect myself and my family. I have severe phonophobia so when I go to the range, I get anxiety attacks because of the unpredictability of other shooters. It’s a bit different if I can anticipate the noise.
I know it’ll get better once I have more exposure but is there any like exercises or maybe videos that I can do to help?
Outrageous_Lion8966@reddit
Instead of playing rain noises when going to sleep listen to gunshots.
sirbassist83@reddit
"Just move to the hood"
Outrageous_Lion8966@reddit
Good advice for this specific scenario, maybe not so good advice for many other reasons though 😂
smokeyser@reddit
It's not so bad once you get used to it. And the nightly "fireworks or firearms" game is fun to play with the family.
Outrageous_Lion8966@reddit
😂
itsatrap35@reddit
Best advice right here
gunsforevery1@reddit
Well you’re going to a range. You can’t anticipate that the range is going to be loud?
ErikTheRed99@reddit
Some people are gun enthusiasts while also having a hearing sensitivity problem. It's less about not expecting it to be loud and more that we have a general problem with sudden loud noises.
gunsforevery1@reddit
“Sudden loud noises”. It’s a shooting range. That’s all there is. Sudden loud noises.
ErikTheRed99@reddit
I get that. What I'm saying is that my brain chemistry is different than most people. I have sensory issues, so loud sounds have a much different effect on me than most others. It's something I've dealt with my whole life, and it isn't just sound either. Dealing with sensory issues and shooting guns isn't as simple as knowing it's going to be loud. That's obvious. It's very hard for me to describe, but it's definitely not a simple matter.
LalaChickynuggy@reddit (OP)
Yes exactly. It’s not guns itself. Just any loud noise. It’s worse when it’s unpredictable. Like example, if I’m pulling the trigger, I know it’s going to be loud so I can expect it.
gunsforevery1@reddit
You’re at a shooting range. Thats all there is. Sudden loud noises. You should expect there to be sudden loud noises at unpredictable times.
LalaChickynuggy@reddit (OP)
No shit. That’s why I’m asking for tips and advice on dealing with it.
gunsforevery1@reddit
Get a mantra. “The range is loud and unpredictable. The range is loud and unpredictable. The range is loud and unpredictable.”
That’s literally the only way you’re going to deal with it, or you’re going to need to rent out the entire range and shoot by yourself. Ranges are loud. People shoot at cadences you can’t control. The only predictable thing is that it’s unpredictable. Once you understand that, you can overcome your fear.
Novel_Comparison_209@reddit
Exposure. But generally just holding a firearm, don’t have to shoot it. Just hold it. Look at it, feel it. Understand that it’s just a piece of plastic. THEN, remind yourself that every single person there is only there to do exactly what you’re trying to do.
LalaChickynuggy@reddit (OP)
So it’s not the gun itself. I don’t have a fear of guns or anything. It’s the loud sudden noise. It’s not even just with a gun but any loud noise. Even dogs barking triggers me.
Novel_Comparison_209@reddit
Ah, in that case I’d say just putting yourself in loud environments. Driving down the freeway with your windows down could be a great one
gravity_loss@reddit
Find an outdoor range or, if you can, shoot on public land where you won't be around other shooters. Been shooting my whole life and have been to indoor ranges maybe a half dozen times. They're loud as fuck, full of gumbies and aren't worth the cost.
Start with a .22 rifle. Wear earplugs and earmuffs. You'll be in heaven.
LalaChickynuggy@reddit (OP)
Yea I was thinking that. I was trying to explain to the person who’s teaching me that it might be better for me to learn outside first.
ErikTheRed99@reddit
Yeah, I have Autism, so I completely get it. I think I left a public range one day because a guy pulled up with a braked .300 Win mag. Not on him at all, that's completely normal. It's just that I'm not normal.
LalaChickynuggy@reddit (OP)
Did it ever get better for you?
Yesterday I tried to go and someone went blazing with the rifle and that numbed me
5150dmack@reddit
Range time is your friend on this one. The more you go the more the sound and recoil will become muscle memory. After awhile it'll be like listening to the gun fire sounds on the tv.
BillKelly22@reddit
Double up on earring protection, take some anxiety meds, and go visit the range you plan to practice at.
Additional_Dish_694@reddit
The specific real tip(s) for a person in your circumstance is exposure, as well as body consciousness meditation directly beforehand.
Don_MayoFetish@reddit
Double up ear pro, Hang out at the range, only go to outdoor ranges, and what helped me was after you shoot one round burn the sound/feeling of the concussion and recoil into your short tem memory and play it back while you're loading your trigger. This is going to make it not feel so unexpected
annonimity2@reddit
Outdoor range, double up on ear pro, invest in supressors, gradually remove as you get more and more accustomed to the noise.
Candyman__87@reddit
Double up with earplugs under ear muffs and shoot outdoors where and when possible.
Objective-Figure-343@reddit
Just doing it is probably best. Go shooting with friends you know and trust or a small local range where you're not too worried about others being idiots. You're going to want good hearing protection, ear plugs, earmuff type earpro or both at first to block out almost all of the sound. There's also active electronic hearing protection in the form of plugs or muffs that actively cancels out loud sounds like gunshots but allows regular conversation volume sounds through. A lot can even amplify quiet sounds to give you better situational awareness.
I think the biggest thing is to get out and shoot, you're going to enjoy it and you'll get used to the sound very quickly.
Comfortable_Guide622@reddit
This^
inchiki@reddit
Yeah my flinch problem is when someone nearby shoots just as I’m squeezing the trigger
Comfortable_Guide622@reddit
Not unexpected
bloodtoots@reddit
It helped my wife to play music thru her headset when we go to the range.
tcarlson65@reddit
Double up with plugs and muffs.
dae_giovanni@reddit
exposure therapy! practice it.
Sal-LeMandeur@reddit
Feels stupid saying it, but it's a sheer force-of-will exercise. You force and hold your eyes open, focus deeply, account for everything. Expect and push back the interruptions, the bang, the pressure blast, the flash - it's all there to fight you: fight back.
After breaking your mind and disturbing your fellow range-goers and giving RSOs reason to stand a little too close, you'll get past it.
Kromulent@reddit
if you think more exposure will help, then just go as often as you can manage, and be gentle with yourself, and have fun
wear good comfortable hearing protection - plugs under muffs - and make sure the plugs are in right. you want to roll them up tight like a little pencil and put them in deep. when that foam expands it ought to sound like the world just disappeared
you'll still hear others but it will be a much more tolerable noise level
we can usually get used to things well enough if there's good reason to do so. if you really gotta fix the sewer pipe, well, you just get used to the idea and then its a thing you can do
sadoproject@reddit
More range time. Repeat.